The Demon's Apprentice
by The Silent Dreamcatcher
Summary: In a kingdom ruled by demons humans are merely kept as toys or slaves to their owners. One of the most powerful demons purchases a young boy, who turns out to be a lot more interesting than he expected. The boy, however, cares not for such things and devotes himself simply to winning his master's heart. Who cares if some fall victim to his wrath along the way.
1. Prologue

The demon's apprentice.

Prologue.

The tiny cell was cold, the rocky walls were bare, there was no window and there was no furniture either. One wall was entirely taken up by a thick metal cell door, across from it sat a small naked child. The boy was curled up into himself and shivering, his big eyes were frantically searching for an escape from under his shoulder length midnight black hair, however they found none.

His skin rose up into Goosebumps as the heavy clanking of another door such as this one could be heard from the hallway, complete with the screams and pleas of the subject that was violently being dragged out. When the heavy boots of his keepers and the struggling form they were effortlessly tugging along had passed the boy let out a breath he'd been holding, secretly grateful that it wasn't his turn yet. Above him he could hear cheers and hoots from the bidders; this must have been quite a wanted toy.

And that was what he was as well, a toy, or he was going to be one at least. Even at his young age he could have expected this fate, his father ran a small bakery and, as a human, held no power in this world of demons. And now he was here, waiting to be auctioned off to some filthy pedophile upper-class demon and be used as his fucktoy until he grew bored with him and killed him. In the few days he'd been there his keepers had educated him thoroughly in all the subjects his dear mother had deemed him too young to even start thinking about. Luckily they'd left him with his virginity, since he'd bring in more money that way.

A bell rung 3 times, indicating that the toy had been sold, and inaudible voices over the speakers were announcing the next subject. He breathed shakily and tried to make himself a small and invisible as possible. To no avail. The iron door opened and one giant man, clad in only a leather loincloth beckoned him to come out. His head was shaven and his face covered with an emotionless white mask. It was the businesses standard keepers' attire.

Meekly he stood, not wanting to shame the little trust they had in him by fighting the inevitable. He might be a mere human, but he wasn't as stupid as the rest. The keeper pushed him ahead gently, no matter the heartless demon he was, he'd come to have a soft spot for the eerily pure boy.  
As they climbed the stairs the boy could feel himself growing even colder with fear, now, more than ever, he wished he was at home hiding in his mother's bosom.

But then the giant mahogany doors opened to the showroom and the noise from the crowd's elated cheers along with the loud voice from the speakers drained all his thoughts.


	2. Chapter One

The Demon's Apprentice.

Chapter one.

"Really? This is the big surprise, a slave auction. Woohoo." The owner of this bored voice stubbornly crossed his arms across his chest. His shark-like companion grinned with far too many teeth and punched him in the shoulder. "I figured with you complaining about how your lovers bitch too much this would be the perfect solution to your _problems_, Zabuza. Besides, this is a professional establishment, their produce are said to be of a high quality.

Scoffing, the demon took his seat in the booth next to his longtime friend. The doors to the platform in the middle of the large room opened and a young naked woman was dragged in by two masked bees. That's what lower class demons were called by the elite. They held no power and had no special skills, so they were used as worker bees. The woman was crying as the bees spread and showed her to the cheering crowd, the enthusiastic voice over the speakers started describing her age, history and skills. The shark demon sat grinning, enjoying the show since he wasn't nearly rich enough to even be able to afford the cheap, used leftovers. His companion wasn't paying attention however; he had no interest in weak human females.

In front of every seat there was small table built in the back of chair in front of it. On every table there was a file with details on all the produce and a fat red button, Zabuza picked up the file and thoughtlessly looked through it. Human. Another human. A fat human. A human child? Was that even legal? He read through the boy's page, apparently his own father had sent him to be sold off here. What really caught his eye though, was the mother's name… this kid might make this trip worthwhile after all.

"This one right here is really something!" the voice over the speakers bellowed, "This pretty little thing is only eight years old and completely pure! Look at that skin, as smooth as can be, and those eyes are to kill for! Now, the bidding starts at-" Zabuza stopped paying attention here, contemplating whether or not he'd buy the kid. If his mother was who he thought she was, then this boy would be an asset he could definitely use. The boy was not spread open and embarrassed like the other toys were, it was not needed. He just stood there, eyes cast downward with his long hair covering most of his torso. One of the bees lifted his head up to show his beauty to the crowd and a loud murmuring ran through it. Zabuza was torn from his contemplation by this and took a good look at the kid. Even if he didn't have anything special he could use, he'd make a _very_ fine toy. He was far too young still of course, he might be a monstrous murderer and torturer, but he was no pedophile. But he was also impatient and easily angered. Kisame, his sharky friend, was right; all of his lovers' complaints were starting to piss him off. They knew what he was when they signed up for the job, but apparently the perks of being with a demon weren't grand enough to stand him anymore. Not that he ever really cared for them; he didn't even know most of their names, so maybe this was a good opportunity after all.

As they came to the last bid he added a sum no one would be able to top and the boy was his.

Haku was horrified; the demon lord that'd bought him looked absolutely terrifying, from all of them, the óne monster bought him. As they led him off the stage through another door he couldn't help but feel slightly exited though. Having prepared himself mentally for a fat, ugly pig that would most certainly use him for pleasure; he hadn't thought anyone interesting would buy him. But he would prefer someone with an interesting life he might one day make himself part of over someone who would keep him chained to a bed the rest of his life. As the bees handed him a thin, almost see-through, pink yukata the fear of what this night would most certainly bring took over any traces of excitement. And he silently slipped it on, tying the waistband tightly and trying to cover as much skin with it as possible. Since it wasn't completely his size it sagged off one shoulder and dragged behind him on the floor, exposing is legs no matter how much he tugged.

They didn't give him any shoes, so he walked bare-footed to his fate. After walking down a hallway with his two escorts they opened the door to the company's car park and a sleek black limo stood waiting for him. A man in a black tailored suit opened the door for him and he sat down on the soft leather seat. They slammed the door shut and the car started to move. The windows were tinted on both sides so he couldn't look out, probably so he wouldn't be able to see where they were going, or coming from, in case he tried to run away. Mere seconds after he'd fixed his single piece of clothing to look at least a bit presentable the screen across from him, which he'd thought to be a spacer, lowered into the car's chassis and revealed his new master sitting right in front of him.

Haku took only a second to gasp in surprise before he threw himself at his master's feet as he'd been instructed earlier. The 'man', as he supposed he could call him, reached down, grabbed his arm and pulled him into his lap. Haku blushed at the undignified position he was put in, with both his legs on different sides of his master's, but Zabuza didn't grant him time to recover. He wrapped one arm around the boy's waist and pulled him up against his chest, then grabbed his chin and forced him to look at him. He felt tiny, even though he was sitting higher, the top of his head didn't even reach his master's shoulder. Suddenly it was hard to breathe as icy cold, grey eyes bore into his own, completely devoid of any emotion.

"So…" The mask over the lower half of Zabuza's face hardly moved while he spoke, but the deep, baritone voice vibrated through his chest, it made Haku shiver and somehow his toes curled. "I am going to ask you some things and you will answer me with either 'yes master' or 'no master', do you understand?" Eager to start off good Haku quickly responded with a "Yes Master." and a nod without breaking eye-contact. Zabuza let a deep chuckle vibrate through the two of them, he liked the kid already. He was obedient, but not overly so, when he'd shown himself he was slightly nervous about how his slave's reaction would be. Would the boy throw himself at him, assuming that that's what he wanted? But he was pleased when he didn't do anything and pulled the perfect toy move, to wait and see what the master wanted, and not assuming anything or being cocky. "Good." The boy was smiling, and he liked it. The tiny beauty was even lovelier up close, the big brown eyes were sparkling from getting praised already and Zabuza knew right then that this was going to work.

"Your name is Haku."

"Yes master."

"You are eight years old."

"Yes master."

"Your parents sold you to this auction." The boy, who'd maintained the desired eye-contact up until now, looked down at this question, seemingly in some sort of mental pain. After only a moment he corrected himself, looked back up and in just as firm a voice as he'd answered the first questions he said: "Yes master, they have." Zabuza saw that there was now a hint of suffering in those big puppy eyes that wasn't there before. He didn't like it.

"You are now mine, I'll do with you as I wish and you will be grateful for it." A soft smile spread over Haku's plump lips and he nodded.  
"Yes master."

"Then I want you to forget who you were before this day, forget everyone you loved and who loved you. You will not care for anyone else but me, I will become the center of your universe and your sole reason for existence. Without me you have no reason to live, do you understand boy? You are mine."

The kid was quiet for a while, seemingly lost in his thoughts but answered with a firm "Yes master." The big guy doubted the boy truly understood what that meant, but it was good enough, for now. After that they didn't speak for the rest of the ride. Instead Zabuza inspected his new purchase some more; he pinched the long black strands of hair between his thumb and index finger and ran his thick fingers through the silky smooth curtain that hid the boy's blushing face. Then he brushed it all behind his soft, round ears and ran his fingers down the side of his face, and chuckled when he saw that one hand could probably cover most of the boy's face. The differences were immense. Suddenly a bump in the road almost threw the boy of Zabuza's lap, and he grabbed onto the broad shoulders in front of him to steady himself. But in doing so his yukata fell of one shoulder. He didn't dare pull it back up though, and he also didn't dare look at his master's reaction.

Well this was a nice surprise! The smooth expanse of skin from Haku's neck to his shoulder seemed to pretty much be offered to him by fate. Well… a badly paved road, but it was all the same. Still trying not to intimidate the boy too much he held back, and simply brushed some strands of hair that had fallen back into place away from the creamy skin. He looked onto his watch; they would be underway for quite a long time still, so he might as well use this time to _inspect_ the boy a bit further. He had, after all, paid a hefty sum for him. It wouldn't do if he only found out about a flaw when the return date had already passed and he was stuck with something he had no use for.

The demon placed one large hand on a skinny little hip to hold the kid in place, should he try and get away, and used the other to untie the waistband. Small fingers dug into his shoulders and even though Haku didn't face him and let his hair cover his face again, the deep cherry blush was evident. He soothingly rubbed his thumb over the boy's hipbone and used his free hand to make him face him again. "Don't be afraid. I shan't hurt or take you here, understand? I just need to see." Haku worried his bottom lip between his teeth for a bit before nodding. The eyebrows knitted together and the distrusting look in the boy's eyes spoke clearly that he wasn't happy about it but what could he do? Even if his master decided to rip off his clothes and brutally have his way with him, it was completely legal. His life was worth nothing after all, he was just a slave now.

And so let his arms hang by his sides so the single piece of clothing easily slid off his slim frame and he was left completely naked and spread out under the man's scrutiny. He tried to cover himself at least a little with his hands, but they were caught in roughened bigger ones. "Don't." was the only gruff whisper from behind the mask he received. He was forced to place his hands on the rough material covering his master's knees behind him, to keep himself propped up and bent backwards. With his master's hands running down his sides and over his thighs he felt scared, but mostly nervous. What if he decided that he didn't like his body? What if he would… return him? NO! He couldn't let that happen! Not now that his luck had blessed him with a kind master, he wouldn't let that happen.

So when his demon master ran his calloused hands down his slim back Haku took a chance and pushed himself up, ignoring the disapproving frown sent his way. He slipped his thin arm around Zabuza's neck and pressed himself against his broad chest. When the man grabbed him by his waist and tried to pry him off him he didn't let go, but instead whispered his desperate plea into his master's ear. Surprised, Zabuza stopped his attempts, but left his hands were they were. Haku was trembling; this was not good, not good at all. What was he thinking? He just stepped massively out of line and completely disrespected his master's wishes, he ruined everything! He pressed himself against the man even closer, trying to make himself a small as possible. "I'm sorry master! I'm so sorry, I was out of line, please forgive me master. I'm so sor-""Shhhhh. It's alright, I accept."

Haku looked up. "You… do?" The stern eyes seemed just a tad bit softer as the big man nodded, and the weight of the world fell off his narrow shoulders at seeing that. He let out an undignified giggle and, in a moment of complete mental derangement, he cuddled up against the person that had, in the last half hour, shown him more kindness than his own father ever did. "That's enough. Compose yourself." He could take his time looking the boy over when they arrived, which would be in a few minutes, and he didn't feel like giving his employees an eyeful of what was his. So he pulled the pink yukata back over the boy's shoulders and tied the band around his waist to cover him. The kid kept smiling at him all through it and then whispered a soft thank you. When he saw that his master was not going to ask anything more of him he pulled up one leg and put it down on the other side, so that he was sitting sideways in Zabuza's lap. Then he pressed his face to the man's chest and fell asleep in mere seconds.

Haku woke when the car suddenly stopped. Someone opened the car door and Zabuza helped him out, before exiting himself. They were at a massive mansion, it almost looked like a castle, even had a tower! Zabuza caught the boy gawking and amusedly asked him: "Do you like the tower?" "Yes master!" "Well lucky you, I haven't found a use for it yet, so that will be your domain. When I don't need you for… other things… of course." The boy let out a laugh and let out a whole string of thankyou's on the way to the front door. The large metal gate closed behind them, turning the piece of land into a closed off space. There was a large brick wall around it for privacy and a large garden surrounding the mansion. Haku didn't know what to focus on; there were beautiful flowerbeds in all the colours of the rainbow, lovely cherry trees and willows by a pond. The grass was thick, lovely green and just the right height.

"Go ahead, I know you want to." With his master's blessing he ran to the nearest tree, feeling the bark. Then he skipped to the flowers and sniffed every single one, before rolling around in the grass and pawing up at the sun. Zabuza watched for a while and walked towards him. He'd never spent much time around children before; he found them noisy, smelly and whiney. He'd killed a great number of them already, along with their parents, and the rest of the family, and the rest of their village. A scary grin showed on his face at the memory of bloodshed, visible even through his mask. Haku, who'd decided to look up at that moment, got scared from seeing the hungry look directed at him. Zabuza caught himself and gestured to the boy to follow him, who immediately got up and ran to him. He didn't notice how the yukata slipped off one shoulder again, nor how the other human servants ogled him. But Zabuza sure noticed, and he didn't like it.

When Haku reached him he pulled the clothing back over his naked flesh to have him decent again, and they entered the house together. Two servants in identical outfits just like all the others opened the doors for them. Again, Haku was in awe. The ceiling was high, twice as tall as his master and the hallways were very wide; his master must be incredibly rich. But just to be sure, he asked. "Is all this yours, master?" Zabuza chuckled deeply. It wasn't evil or mocking, just an amused chuckle. "Of course it's mine, you really think I would live in a house that's not my own? I am very powerful Haku, so it's easy for me to make buckets of money. Luckily for you that's why it wasn't even a small cut in my budget to buy you. Would you like to see your room?" Haku answered excitedly, "Yes please! But can I see yours first master? In case I ever need to find you or anything…" "Sure."

They went up a massive flight of stairs that had an entire hall for itself, along the sides, going up with the steps, were paintings. They had bright colours and Haku could look at every single one for days, beautiful women, war scenery, a mage warped up in an epic battle. The biggest one was of the demon lord himself though, looking down on them from behind its massive golden frame. While they walked down another hallway Zabuza decided to ask his little slave something that had been on his mind since he saw the boy's file. "So Haku, why did your parents sell you?" the boy, who had been looking around with a smile on his face, turned serious. "My father sold me, not my mother." "You mean your mother didn't want to sell you?" "No, I mean my father sold me. He killed my mother when she gave birth to me." His master was shocked, he could tell. "But… why?" "He hated her. And he hated me. Don't ask me why, you know the reason." He stopped in his tracks, attention being grabbed by the single vase with white flowers that stood on a slim, dark wood table near them. "He killed her and sold me for the very same reason that you bought me. Because of this." He raised his hand, pointed to the vase and closed his hand into a fist.

With a loud BANG the vase shattered into a thousand pieces.


End file.
